


Clairvoyance

by Polarissruler



Series: Taiga and Archer [1]
Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night (Visual Novel), Fate/stay night - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Dreams, Dreams and Nightmares, Gen, Memories, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Tags May Change, Taiga has a Servant, Warnings May Change, tags to be added as story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29632161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polarissruler/pseuds/Polarissruler
Summary: In spite of her claims, Taiga Fujimura's life has been completely normal. She met Servants, lived with mages, and survived two Holy Grail Wars - none the wiser about the existence of magic. All in all, she avoided the mystic - with one minor expectation.A decade after the fourth War, banished memories grow into nightmares. In order to solve the mystery - and get back her peace of mind - Taiga jumps in the fight. A story that should not be with consequences even her Servant: a mysterious Archer, cannot predict.The expanded version of 'Fight By My Side'.
Series: Taiga and Archer [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2177241
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	Clairvoyance

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you, who have not given up on the story: here is the full version! I know, I know - you don't get to see the summoning yet (nor much of the action), but it's going to happen in the next chapter. And unlike all other long-fics I have, this one is planned from start to finish - so there won't be indefinite hiatuses while I try to work out the plot.
> 
> Unfortunately, I cannot promise a consistent update schedule. But if I am taking more than two weeks: you have the full right to ask in the comments. Or in DW.
> 
> With that over, I hope you enjoy my story!

The heat soaked through Taiga's clothes. She clenched her teeth and waddled forward, slumping under the heavy pressure that would break her spine. Black mud, thick as tar, swallowed her alive. With each step, she sank deeper as the darkness climbed over, licking her skin with a burning tongue. Whispers surrounded her, talking of despair, of evil, of all world's curses.

"You are not making me give up," Taiga declared. "I will find some goal as long as I keep walking forward." Forward; as if she had any sense of direction. If he was with her - a blurry image of a red-haired boy sparked into Taiga's mind - he would not stop taunting her. Baseless accusations! She never lost her way on those camping trips. Sometimes the rest of the group just wandered off and she needed to find them.

Burning air stabbed her neck. Taiga twisted her back as far as she could, her legs stuck in the mud. The corner of her eye caught an enormous shadow coated that flapped like tentacles. If only she had her shinai… At least she would not worry about sudden attacks!

"Teacher!" A voice, as bright as silver, gentle and desperate, broke the red sky. Another one, irate and weaker, followed like an echo.

She had to reach them.

Dark sludge - so thick that it could almost pass for rock - flowed off her legs and pooled. Taiga waddled, never reaching running speed. Her shoes were heavy with built-up mud and like searing fingers dragged her. She panted. The miasma filled her with scorching poison. Pressing a fist to her neck (as if that would stop her pain) Taiga coughed strongly enough to tear off her lungs.

"Teacher!" The angelic voice - like a prayer - returned. And the second, boyish tone followed it once again, now a few times stronger.

She stretched her arm towards it. Her muscles twitched with strain. The pole star that would lead her out glowed, too far away. Taiga almost brushed it, the warmth shooting her ache. "I'm not leaving you this time! You are coming with me!" She had to save her, to take her home in a safe place, free from the corrupting mud.

"Teacher!"

"Taiga!"

The two voices fought for dominance, equally powerful, and fused in a horrific cacophony of highs and lows.

The shadow rose from the mud. It grew in size, the deep darkness feeding it on sorrow and pain. A black tentacle, thin and long like a ribbon, twisted around her wrist and pulled down to devour her in its muddy stomach. Her skin burnt as if made of fire. Taiga screamed, throwing every insult learned during the long career of a high school teacher.

Her arm refused to obey her, having gone limp at the first touch. Nauseating powerlessness infected her body like a virus, spreading through her limbs and taking her heart hostage. Her knees bend, brittle and weak as if pure ice. The sticky blackness swallowed her: a small fly in a Venus flytrap. Taiga opened her lips to scream, "Help!", but the mud filled her mouth. Even her lungs refused to work and the little air she could breathe lodged in her nose.

"Taiga!" The woman's voice was dying down, losing to the boy.

Her shining guide light disappeared, glowing redder, deadlier, weaker, dirtier… Taiga would drown in the dark abyss, found by no one. She would disappear, devoured alive - barely alive, on the verge of death - by the pulsating mud. It leeched in her veins, chewing on her skin; as if a thousand needles stabbed through her and dug all the way to her bone. One scream and she would sink further, as more of the swamp emptied in her mouth.

"Teacher!" One last whisper - endless times stronger than the powerful "Fuji-nee!" that followed - pushed the mud away from her. The shadow burned white. Its black tentacles tangled in a bright gown of silver, red, and gold. The burning ribbon around Taiga's hand became a warm hand. A woman, beautiful like from a fairy tale, embraced her and stroked Taiga's short hair.

"Do not worry for me, Zee-chan," she sobbed. "I have no place in your future world." Warm tears fell on Taiga's face. "Thank you for meeting me once again. And," the unclear lines smiled, "I am sorry you came here for me." Hunched over Taiga, she hugged her tighter. "Goodbye."

"Teacher!" Taiga cried. Pink kimonos, disgusting stew, impossible complaints, and eerie magic passed through her thoughts. She had failed the white woman once… When? Memories fought in Taiga's mind. They whispered forgotten names - "Irisviel! Lancelot!", primordial fears - "We will melt in this impartial world!", heavy promises - "I will follow your work!"

The woman unraveled. Her form bloated outward, until it separated in a single silver wire. Taiga tried to keep the wish alive, to pull her so that they could leave together. "Don't leave me!" she cried out. "Teacher!" Yet no being heard her prayers. The thread slipped through Taiga's fingers. "Please!" She could not let go, betray her once again, leave her in an empty, lifeless world. So, Taiga dived in the unlimited white. It was a free, endless fall into an empty world and the nothingness sped past her. The rough wind ruffled her hair, cutting her breath short. She was going to drop, die, break every bone…

"Ugh!" Taiga opened her eyes. She was young again and held the old sign: "Einzbern Consultation Room". The elegant script had withered with the ages - but it could not; it was written today! - now unintelligible. One tournament or another was awaiting her and she was training in the mountain, when… Taiga hit her forehead. "What is it? Who were you, teacher?" The name, even her silver image melted away like a morning mist.

"Fuji-nee!"

A heavy earthquake hit her world. Taiga clutched the grass, trying to remain still. Cracks tore the earth. Mud flowed through them, the disgusting stench of death following it. "No!" She could only remain in place, the erupting darkness trapping her on her safe island. As the decay ate and ate and ate, she could only watch and curse it, further fueling it. Red eyes glowed in the wall of sludge and a band shot out of it, aiming at Taiga's head. The burning dark blade would tear her in two, kill…

"Fuji-nee!"

* * *

Taiga groaned. She had never felt worse; not even when she drank that hot sauce that replaced the wine. Her head would crack and her brain flow out if Taiga only moved. Its most royal majesty of all hangovers had cursed her - even though Taiga was almost sure she did not drink a single drop. It already took too much effort to correct mistakes sober; plus Taiga had heard of the teacher with the stinking tests.

"It's not working," Shirou sighed. Shirou? What was he doing in school so late? She had been checking tests until around 4 p.m. He should have gone home and started with dinner. She wanted to give him a piece of his mind, but opening her heavy eyelids felt too difficult…

"You leave me no choice -" he gulped audibly "- Tiger."

"How did you dare!" The whole heaven and hell's combined fury would rain on her so precious boy. Like a scowling rocket, she shot up and slammed her hands. "I told you never… Ouch!" The sudden movement sent jolts of pain through her stiff back. That was it; no more sleeping on the desk!

"You were not waking up," Shirou explained as if that would absolve his crime. "I thought the horrible gas leaks have claimed you."

"What are children taught these days?" Taiga snorted, before shuffling the pile of exams on her desk. "I am sure yours was somewhere here! Let's put a few more corrections," she said with a grin.

"That's an abuse of power." He rubbed the bridge of his nose, staring at the floor. "I will report you."

"Oh, and who will listen? You are just a normal boy against the tyranny of your reasonable English teacher!"

"Your grandpa seems to accept me as the reasonable one." Her dearest student smirked, turning his back on Taiga.

"Oh? Then I'll visit Kiritsugu's grave and complain what a wicked kid he has raised. Beat this!"

Shirou clicked his tongue. "Dirty move, Fuji-nee. But in that case, I'll do the same; he will learn what a wicked woman is taking care of me!"

Taiga faked a sigh, so dramatic that it sounded more like a moan. "Oh, Shirou, where have I made a mistake in raising you? Who has taught you to disrespect your elders?"

"Yes," Shirou put his finger on his chin, "who could be this horrible example?"

Taiga crossed her arms, her index finger twitching. She tried to hold her laughter behind a (poor) sly frown. "I have never been more insulted in my life."

"Then maybe you should act like a respectable teacher for once."

"Hey, we are having this conversation only because I respectably stayed to grade all of those tests for - " Taiga glanced at the clock. "What are you doing here at half past seven?"

"Issei needed help with some repairs. We fixed heaters all over the school -" he brushed his forehead with the back of his hand. "And we have just as much left. But he decided the work was enough for today. On my way out, Kuzuki-sensei told me you were still working. So, I decided to drop you a visit. Now it's your turn. Shouldn't people not sleep in class?"

"People should not call their teachers nicknames, either." When did Shirou get such a sharp tongue? And he was such a cute kid… The world had suffered a far too tragic loss. "I was just tired. Checking so many tests on minimal sleep will do this to you. We kill a few forests just to fail all students."

A sudden chill froze Taiga.

If a stare could kill, Kiritsugu would be a serial killer. Only a few times he had shown his scary side, and every moment burnt an imprint in Taiga's soul. One trait he and Shirou - her polite, gentle boy - could never have in common. It was not a problem; asking for third servings was easier without risking one's life.

But Shirou had found his own weapon: the care stare. His innocent questions left hearts bleeding. At any lie, he would pout and leave the enemy miserable for the whole day. How many people had run and apologized to a baffled Shirou a few hours later? It had happened at least twenty times to Taiga.

Her devilish boy asked with the most sincere voice, "Why you haven't been sleeping? Even if the end of the world was coming, you would stay in bed until the last second."

Taiga made the deadly mistake of looking into Shirou's warm eyes. They forced her to consider her guilt for ages before throwing her out to repent. "Nightmares," she admitted as her head slumped.

Shirou set a hand on her shoulder. "How bad?"

"Enough that I haven't slept well this week," Taiga began the tale. "I wake up sweating in the dead of the night. And I feel violated -" she hugged herself and squirmed "- like someone is eating me alive inside out."

"You know overeating at dinner leads to heavy dreams, right? Maybe I should cut your portions."

"Oh, now you've earned it!" Taiga punched in the paper mountain, sending most of them on the floor. "Prepare to retake this test!"

* * *

"Mm!" Taiga grinned as she gulped down the last of her meal. "Sakura-chan, you have outdone yourself tonight! I am glad you cooked instead of that boy, who threatened to cut off my dinners.

"Is that true, senpai?" Sakura slapped her mouth shut in fake shock. "You should respect your elders!" She bravely tried to hold her laughter back, but could not muffle it at all. So, she resigned to bowing her head, hoping Shirou would miss the smile.

"The girl has spoken." Taiga sat as proudly as a king, reigning over her dining table. "Now -" she passed her bowl to him "- give me a second serving and I will forgive the disrespect."

"I told you - do one respectable thing first." Shirou poured another serving of rice to her. "Sakura, stop being such an enabler. Now she'll hold this over me for days."

"Hey!" Taiga clenched a fist. "I heard you!"

Shirou did not reply, but his smug smile as he crossed arms spoke too loudly.

"Fine, fine." Taiga leaned over the table, almost lying on it. A calm smile hid her devious plans. How difficult would it be to bobby trap an atelier? Nothing too horrible; a single bucket of water over the door should remind Shirou of his place. "I know when I have lost. Oh!" She glanced at her quite watch-lacking hand. "I must rush home! Tests won't grade themselves! Bye!" Like a rocket, Taiga jolted in the hall, put on her shoes so fast that she almost tied her fingers, and left before Shirou could comment.

With a twinkle in her eyes, she crossed the yard in record time and creaked the atelier open. Most people (Shirou included) called it a shed, but where was the charm? One could find a shed in every yard. Once a person dedicated so much of their life to a certain place, it required a worthy name.

Plus, Kiritsugu had dropped the word a few times. Ah, French made everything sound magnificent. If only she had met two Frenchmen and not Britons on that fateful day…

Ugh, no use crying over it now! Taiga stomped forward on her quest for the prank. She had a few minutes; after that Shirou would sense the break in his kingdom; almost like magic. Then, he would barge and demand her to leave. Still, she could find a bucket, fill it with water and delicately balance it on the open door. Expect admits the priceless devices which most people (Taiga included) called rubbish, there was no bucket.

"That boy never orders, does he?" Taiga groaned while digging through a pile of metal. "Maybe he does not want me here, because I'll make him clean everything. Then he'll see me as the responsible one."

Where had she not shuffled? Maybe it would suffice as a prank to throw Shirou's atelier into even greater chaos? No, Taiga had enough of being called weak-willed! She had set her goal and would stop at nothing!

Ah! Her eyes opened wide. A few boxes, piled near her, were her last chance. With a slow reverence, Taiga revealed the contents of her savior… Not! "I should have gone home and taken a bucket! It would save me so much time!" Onto the next one. Huffing, she took the heavy box - and her arms wobbled under the pressure - before setting it on the floor. Some sweat had broken on her forehead. "School teachers ought not to do such work! Would someone from the Archery Club agree to help if I dragged them?" She crouched to open the next box.

A large magic circle was inscribed on the floor. Mercury. Wait, how had Taiga learned about them? Ah, right, Instructor Iri taught her… Iri? Who was she? A foreign woman in pink, gentle and motherly, yet with a mean streak… Mean streak? No, someone else forced that into her! Yet they had the same shining face and gentle demeanor. Gentle? As if that shadow could do anything but destroy and strike fear!

A flaring pain, sharp like a knife wound, shot through Taiga's hand as if someone had drawn a blade across it all the way to the elbow. She slammed her other wrist, hoping to numb the ache. There was no time to ache; not when the mystery lingered in the air! "Ouch! Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!" Stumbling back, the disoriented Taiga hit someone.

"Fuji-nee? What are you…?" The owner of the workshop had come to check on it. Workshop? Was it not an atelier?

"Emiya!" Taiga ordered. "How long has this been there?"

The boy blinked. "The shed? Before I started living here. Fuji-nee, you are making even less sense than usual."

"No, the ma… That!" Taiga quickly corrected herself and pointed at the circle.

Shirou traced the direction of her finger. "It?" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, glancing away from Taiga. "I haven't noticed it. The old man might have suffered through an occult phase or something."

True, the Mage Killer's house must have hidden a relic or two from his past? Mage Killer? Bullets echoed into Taiga's mind, each with the same heartless shooter. Kiritsugu, bleak and dark like a shadow, sped through her memories, killing without remorse. Why would the man, who taught Shirou to be a hero, do that?

"He might have," Taiga agreed. "So, why did you come? Did you feel that an intruder had entered your atelier?"

"Not at all," Shirou replied. "Sakura left and saw you sneaking in my shed," he accented on the last word. "I had to stop your mischief."

"Thank you for trusting me so little," Taiga yawned. "I am going home now. This time for real."

* * *

“Ouch!” Taiga groaned and sat up halfway, rubbing the sore back of her neck. “Instructor, could you not wake me up more gently?” Once again, she was a girl, young and innocent. The harsh machinations of the time had not played with her sense. She had sunk in the dark classroom where events flowed backward - to regression.

“I apologize, my dear Zec.” Her teacher leaned over Taiga’s face with a fairy’s smile. Her white hair fell around her head like a curtain and her hands crossed behind her back. She stood high on her toes as if she would fly away the moment she stopped putting in any effort. “But we need to hurry.”

“Instructor!” Taiga reached for a hug, but with her shorter arms, she only pulled the majestic silver hair. “You are alive!” Tears were building up in her chest, rising and threatening to explode out of her eyes. She held herself, even as the feeling crushed her lungs and she could swear she went blue.

“I apologize, dear Zec.” Iri sighed and sat on the school desk. In place of her delicate pink kimono, she was wearing a simple white dress. “This memory must end once the city wakes. After the dream breaks and the miracle shatters, I will disappear.”

“No! Instructor, I won’t leave you again! Last time I fled, but now we can run together! We can…”

Iri shushed her. “Do not raise your hopes, my student. Please, listen to me. Once the Grail forms, strive and summon it!” Her voice bloated up deep, like a decomposing corpse, as disgusting as poison. It roared, reaching a higher tone, ballooning and exploding as if a demon fled her lips and evaporated in the air.

“Instructor!” Taiga crawled back.

“No! Don’t fall for it, my student! Stay strong! You should never aim for the Gra…” Iri held her neck, gagging as if some sticky, sick substance was drenching her throat. “Free the miracle! You should seize it, summon it, desire it!” she hissed like a snake. Her eyes glowed bright red, an ugly, greedy fire filling them; her skin paled until light passed through her. “Wake up, Zec! Wake up and forget me!”

“I told you! We’re leaving together this time!” Mustering her power, Taiga tried to catch Iri’s hand. Iri slapped her.

“Do not!” She pulled herself back, fearing that her presence would destroy her student. “I should not have brought you here! He wants to trap you! I wondered why he gave me the chance. Please, Zec, do not seek the Grail. It promises only lies, so charming that you forget the truth! Take it and save me, wish for me!”

Ugly and sticky substance poured from Iri’s eyes like a torrent. The mud splotched onto Taiga’s arms and burned; burned like she had stuck her hand in a fireplace; like the sludge broke and was boiling her blood. She would die, die alone, die unloved, die cursed, die without saving her dearest teacher!


End file.
